There are 60,000 Tongans in Aotearoa and 105,000 Tongans in Tonga. They are our people and our neighbours. Earlier this year, the devastating underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and subsequent tsunami left many Tongan families displaced and without shelter. Earlier this year, Home collaborated with Home Foundation to partner with Habitat for Humanity New Zealand and the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology (TIST).

To kick off our Pacific partnership with Habitat for Humanity NZ, we sent a small team of staff and build partners to Tonga, to help build back storm-resilient homes as the Pacific heads into cyclone season.

Our team was incredibly moved by their time in Tonga. To share their experience, we have recorded a three part web-series to document the impact of Habitat and TIST’s incredible work.

In partnership, we were able to make a real difference to the building project, as well as the students' education. The team made fantastic progress towards safe shelter for families left most vulnerable after the tsunami. Over their four days of mahi, four homes had critical foundations completed and are now ready to be transported to site where cladding, roofing, electrical and plumbing will be installed.

There is a lot of work ahead to rebuild storm-resilient housing in Tonga and we encourage you to make a donation to support Habitat’s great mahi. You can enable the building of storm-resilient homes in the Pacific by donating via this link: https://habitat.org.nz/donate/home-tonga/

For twice the impact, Home Foundation will match every dollar donated throughout the month of November.

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Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a registered community housing provider and charity, that is committed to improving housing outcomes in New Zealand, the Pacific and Nepal. Learn more at https://habitat.org.nz/

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